PENANG, 25 April 2015 - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) graduates were urged to exemplify the motto We Lead in serving the king and country.

This call was expressed by the USM Chancellor, the Raja of Perlis H.R.H Tuanku Syed Siirajuddin Ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail during the first session of the 51^st Convocation this morning. Prior to his speech, His Royal Highness had presented the scrolls to 262 PhDs, DBAs and PhDs in Public Health graduates.

“Producing a large number of graduates is not the true measure of our success, for success also depends on the extent of our contribution to the nation and to society. As such, the success of our university should be viewed from the extent to which we are able to produce graduates who go on to become leaders in various organisations, institutions, the corporate sector or even world leaders. We should consider whether or not our graduates also embody the motto “We Lead” in the personal domains of community and family,” His Royal Highness stated.

His Royal Highness elaborated, “We Lead should be steadfastly applied in tandem with strong religious belief, high integrity, wisdom and mental fortitude in facing challenges besides high entrepreneurial values in seeking out opportunities for success in various endeavours.

His Royal Highness also urged the graduates to hold steadfastly to values of compassion, respect, the institution of the family, care for the elders, respect for others, good manners and tolerance in daily life because an individual who neglected his/her responsibility to the parents and the less fortunate could not be considered as truly educated. Knowledge is a blessing bestowed on the individual from the prayers of one’s parents.

"We must be sincere in volunteering our services to all, and respect diversity for a sustainable and prosperous society and world. By applying knowledge gained at university and assimilating it with strong life values, we will create leaders of tomorrow who place the needs society, the nation or even the world above personal interest. Such leaders understand the importance of a balance in development, between the material and the mental and social wellbeing,” His Royal Highness added.

The Vice-Chancellor of USM, Professor Dato’ Dr. Omar Osman exhorted the graduates to contribute their views and ideas as part of the strategic thinkers for USM by providing feedback, suggestions and ideas on how to face challenges for the future.

“As part of the knowledge community produced by the university, graduates shoulder a huge responsibility to preserve the good name of USM, and the people’s trust to play a role in creating a knowledgeable generation that can contribute to the development of the country and its people, besides becoming leaders in the community and driving excellence in any endeavour be it for institution, society or personal,” said Omar at the same ceremony.

Graduates should become role models for society as learned and educated individuals who have foresight in the face of overwhelming development in current technology and life in general.

He stressed that, what was previously considered relevant was now obsolete hence if we lived in the past we would be left behind in the onslaught of the present fast paced development, what with knowledge available to all online, at their fingertips so that people are becoming cleverer and the abundance of information that needs to be processed and digested every day.

“Nevertheless, there are many life values that need to be protected to ensure a quality life that is sustainable and inclusive, and even in the push to achieve developed nation status, this should be carried out on our own terms by upholding our own principles and values,” added the Vice-Chancellor.

This is the true challenge facing the university in ensuring its continued relevance to become a tower of knowledge that produces balanced graduates and holistic scholars who are aware of their role for the future, able to lead in the drive for excellence in the context of an APEX university.

Also present at the ceremony was the Raja Perempuan Perlis H.R.H Tuanku Tengku Fauziah binti Al-Marhum Tengku Abdul Rashid. Other dignitaries present at the USM convocation were the Pro Chancellors, Tan Sri Dr. M. Jegathesan and Tan Sri Datuk Mustafa Mansur, members of the Board of Governors and members of the USM Senate. - Translation: Dr. Nurul Farhana Low Abdullah/Text: Mohamad Abdullah